Chapter 13

Alexander looked coldly at the overly dramatic woman in front of him, the hand at his side clenched slightly. "Move."

"Alex, my sister is talking with Michael upstairs... Maybe now's not the best time to go in."

As soon as the words left Victoria's mouth, Alexander's face darkened immediately.

"What did you say?"

Victoria shrank back a little, pressing her lips together. "Michael is in her room, visiting."

His expression grew even colder, that icy aura around him turning bone-chilling. Without another word, he strode up the stairs.

Panicked, Victoria followed close behind. "Alex, Michael's just dropping by to see her. Please don't misunderstand."

Alexander reached Elizabeth's bedroom door, raised his hand to knock—but before he could, a familiar voice called out from not far away.

"Honey, are you here to pick me up?"

He turned sharply, gaze falling on the petite woman walking toward him. His eyes swept past her to the man beside her, brows pulling together with a shadow of doubt.

So this was why she wanted to come home—turns out, it wasn't just about visiting family.

His hands curled slowly into fists, dark eyes unreadable.

Elizabeth quickened her pace, hooking her arm through his naturally. "I texted you earlier, didn't I? You did come to get me, right?"

She looked up with shining eyes, filled with what looked to be pure excitement and happiness—nothing there seemed fake.

Alexander stared at her for a long moment, silent.

She waited patiently, and when he still didn't speak, though his tense energy was slowly fading, she gently leaned her head on his shoulder.

"What's wrong, babe?"

He blinked, pulled back to the moment. His tone softened a bit. "Came to take you home."

"Okay, let me let Mom and Dad know."

They went downstairs, and Donna came out to greet them. "Oh, Alexander, you're here. Leaving already?"

"I'm here to pick Elizabeth up."

Elizabeth glanced at him in surprise—he'd always kept his distance from her family.

Since she resented them too, she hadn't visited much since getting married, and Alexander had barely interacted with them. Only Victoria was the exception—she was allowed to visit their place. But now, thinking about it, that might've been a mistake.

Shaking off her thoughts, she smiled gently. "Mom, I'll come back to see you and Dad another day."

"Alright, be careful on the road."

They were just about to reach the front door when Michael called out, "Elizabeth, everything I said to you just now—every word was true. If things ever get hard for you, come to me."

Her expression instantly turned cold.

She'd thought she'd already made everything clear upstairs. Apparently, some people just didn't understand boundaries.

Alexander caught the shift in her mood, looked at her sideways, but didn't say anything.

She turned back toward Michael, her tone frosty. "Michael, what exactly do you mean by that? You want me to bail on Alexander and run off with you?"

Caught off guard, Michael hesitated—he'd never even seriously thought about running off together.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Or are you just scared I'll really cling to you? I think I was pretty blunt earlier: I'm not divorcing Alexander. Not in this lifetime. Unless he doesn't want me anymore, I'm here to stay. I'll admit I used to have feelings for you, but now I'm married. So tell me, what kind of idiot do you take me for if you think I'd leave my rich, handsome husband for you?

"You said all that right in front of my husband—don't you think that's a bit misleading? Or was that the whole point? Trying to stir things up between us?"

Elizabeth didn't beat around the bush—just a few words and she nailed it.

Seeing Michael momentarily speechless, she gave a mocking little smile and kept going.

"If I remember correctly, I never gave you any false hope. So where's all this confidence coming from? What makes you so sure I'd leave Alexander? Or that he doesn't treat me right?"

Michael's face shifted colors—green, then pale—but he quickly put on a hurt look.

"Elizabeth, how could you think that? I only want what's best for you."

She snorted. "Yeah? Best for me? If you really cared about our years growing up together, you wouldn't have said that nonsense in front of my husband."

Her tone was firm, every word carrying weight like she meant every bit of it.

The air suddenly felt tense, like something had shifted.

In just a month, how did she become so different?

Michael's eyes darkened with a kind of sorrow, as if her words genuinely broke something inside him.

"Elizabeth, you know I didn't mean it that way. I just... I want you to be happy."

She let out a cold chuckle. "Thanks for the concern, but I think I'm good without it."

"And you showing up here, don't tell me that's a coincidence."

She didn't spell it out, but she was sure her mother would understand what she meant.

Elizabeth turned to Alexander, who had been watching everything silently.

"Honey, let's go home."

But the man at her side didn't budge. Instead, his cool, deep voice cut through the air.

"Michael, mind your own business. My wife doesn't need your concern. If I catch wind you're up to anything shady, don't blame me when the Reed family vanishes from Halden."

Yeah, this had CEO energy written all over it—one sentence and the poor guy's whole family might just go poof.

Alexander gave a sideways glance at the woman beside him. His voice was calm but forceful.

"And don't call her Elizabeth. It's Mrs. Blake to you."

With that, he wrapped an arm around her and walked out of the Harper estate.

The moment they were outside, he let go.

His face had that stormy, don't-mess-with-me vibe, and he walked so fast Elizabeth almost had to run to keep up.

She could tell—he was really mad.

She bit her lip and called out, "Wait up, honey!"

But he didn't even slow down.

Then came a startled yelp—Elizabeth hit the ground.

Alexander spun around the second he heard her, rushing back. "Where did you hurt yourself?" he asked while crouching down to check on her.

Seeing his worried face, Elizabeth's lips curved up just slightly—so he did care, huh? How come she'd never noticed before?

She blinked away her thoughts, her voice soft and a bit pitiful. "I called you and you didn't even look back."

Alexander's brow twitched, barely noticeable. He lifted his eyes to her, took in her upset look, and asked coolly, "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere," she pouted. "I want a hug."

His gaze flickered—just a flash—but she caught it.

Without another word, Alexander scooped her up and carried her to the car.

Once she was settled into the passenger seat, and just as he was about to move away, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

The pose? Way too close, almost like a kiss about to happen.

Alexander squinted at her, dark eyes intense.

"You're really asking for it."